My Shadow Self
by Crazychicke
Summary: Based on 5x01. Bonnie witnesses Silas' true form and vows to save Stefan. Silas believes he has won, but Bonnie is not alone on the other side. Pairings: Stefonnie/Kennett. Silas!Caroline. Forwood. Delena.
1. My Shadow Self

**A/N: The first in a pile of speculation fics for 5x01. Some are requests and others are my own ideas. I'll be posting them all individually. I'm open to theories. **

**My Shadow Self**

He had no choice. If Bonnie had just listened to him... he wouldn't have had to... but now he waits on the edge of the falls after Stefan's body sinks to the bottom of the lake. His shadow self was Stefan Salvatore, and nobody but he knew. His plan had been impromptu, malicious in some ways...

He cracks his neck, staring up at the crescent moon with a smug smile. It would be effortless to manipulate them, those pathetic souls. He straightens his jacket, then bundles the pieces of clay together in the tarp and throws it too into the surging water.

Nobody would look for Stefan because he hadn't gone missing. Without a second glance, he gets into the car, turns on the ignition and drives away. There is an echo on the breeze, as if it were somebody's devastating scream, and then it fades into the night.

-:-

Bonnie claws at the invisible net that keeps her and Kol at bay. She's frantic, trying to make an opening, trying to reach Stefan who had been knocked out, stuffed into the safe meant for Silas and kicked into the lake in Mystic Falls' reserve. _How long could he hold his breath? How long before he started to decay?_ Silas had become Stefan. Stefan is his_ Shadow-self? _

There was a loop-hole in his immortality. Maybe Qetsiyah ensured this in-case he didn't take the cure? Silas didn't want to kill Stefan, he just imprisoned him. What if Stefan was the key to destroying Silas? This new theory did not please her, instead she felt like a giant had captured her in his fist and was squeezing her to death. She turns desperately to Kol and shouts for him to help her.

"I told you not to resurrect him. I told you Silas was dangerous," Kol said.

"I had to. I had to save Jeremy," she said, just as forcibly.

"Oh, yes, the Gilbert boy you gladly sacrificed your soul for. Trust me when I say, you could have done better. And what did you tell your friends?"

Bonnie was getting annoyed by his attitude. She had done what she thought was right. She remembered telling Jeremy to keep her secret, to lie to her friends.

"They think I'm on holidays visiting relatives."

"And when you don't come back," he said.

"I'll think of something else," she snapped, wincing in pain as her nail jars in the net. "We need to get to Stefan. Can you please stop being a jackass and do something?"

Kol sighed. He flicks open an army knife to Bonnie's amazement and stabs the veil. It bounces off it like it's made of rubber. "Happy now? You were the one who resealed the veil. You were the one who put us in this mess."

"Thanks Kol, that was enlightening," Bonnie fumed.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go back to the bar and find my brothers. When you break the veil let me know, because there's a certain brunette I need to pay a visit to."

"If you touch one hair on Elena's head, I'll-"

She was worried sick for Stefan, and her friends. What was Silas going to do to them? The eldest of the Mikaelson's came up to them. He seemed just as carefree as his younger brother, yet slightly reserved. Finn put a hand on Kol's shoulder to stop his outburst.

"What has my dearest brother said to insult you? Forgive him, he doesn't know when to be quiet."

Kol shook off his brother's hand, and mumbled something along the lines of "she's all yours."

Finn waited patiently for her answer, even if it wouldn't come. She stared out over the falls and at the tyre tracks in the mud. It had started to rain, wiping away any tracks or evidence of what had happened. "Would you like to tell me what has you this upset?" Finn said.

"Not particularly," she said thickly. Finn came to stand beside her. After a few minutes of staring at the empty reserve, and fighting a mental battle, she says, "It's my fault." He assessed the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Everything's my fault. Kol was right. If I hadn't resurrected Jeremy. If I'd been strong enough to let him go, I would have gone with Stefan to take care of Silas. I would have protected him. I'm not proud to be a Bennett. I let Silas come back. I failed."

Finn bumped her shoulder in a kindly manner. "You cannot blame yourself. What's done is done, and you certainly can't take the blame for everything. We cannot keep living in the past. You forget, you are not alone Miss Bennett, you have an army of supporters just waiting to receive your orders."

Bonnie was shaken by his words. She wiped her face, wondering why he was being so kind to her. His death had been at the hand of friends, and he had forgiven her.

Maybe she should forgive herself.

"How do we break the veil? I'm dead. I can't do magic."

"I think it's time you met a friend of mine." Finn steers her from the falls, leaving behind the net, and her toes are covered in dew-drops from the grass. She sees familiar faces watching her and she's not sure why she trusts Finn, but she does.

She hears laughter and Kol's voice and sees a boy with dark hair tackling his brother and holding a wooden sword to his throat. It must be Henrik_._ She hears chatter and sees Pearl sitting in a rocking chair and her daughter Anna, reading books. She hears the slam of a glass on a hard surface, and Alaric and Vicki Donovan doing shots. She hears arguing and Jules and Mason are playing cards, whilst Aunt Jenna is beckoning Alaric to join them. She hears her Grams calling her name and Finn guides her through the bodies of the dead.

"We're all here, Bonnie," her Grams says. "We are so proud of you for the choices you made."

Finn stops, and the crowd parts. Esther, his mother, the woman who tried to kill her own children, who tried to make things right, appears. Standing beside her was Ayianna, the witch who had made the Originals. She was even more impressive in person. Gloria steps closer, her shaved white hair illuminates the shadows, and Bonnie realises the dew drops have turned to snow.

"Bonnie, you have done so much, but your fight is not over," Gloria said.

"Silas will rule Mystic Falls, but there is one person who can defeat him," Esther smiled.

"We have a plan," Grams said, holding out her hands for Bonnie to take, which she does.

"It's time, Finn," Ayianna says, and Bonnie catches Kol's eye. His hand clutches Henrik's and for a moment, despite being among her own, she feels like Kol's the only one she can trust.

She can't see Kol anymore.

She can't see anything.

Bonnie opens her eyes and hears another voice in her head.

_My name is Qetsiyah, please forgive me for what I'm about to do. _

A black cloth tightens around her. She screams as she looks to her left and Stefan is there. He's drowning and she's terrified. He's shouting her name, but she can't reply. She tries to block out their enchantments. She shivers as the water washes over her. She rams her fists into the sides of the safe, swallowing the sea-water and then the heavy door slams shut.

**A/N: Please review, and thank you. There will be a second chapter, and maybe a third.**


	2. No Light No Light

**A.N: Thanks for your lovely reviews! Means a lot! Chapter title inspired by Florence and the Machines.**

**2**

**No Light, No Light**

"No! Somebody help me!"

Bonnie turns back to Stefan, his corpse-like skin desiccated and skeletal as if two thousand years had already passed. She flinches. His blank eye-sockets glow red like the brake-lights of his car and she realises she must be under some illusion.

"Qetsiyah! QETSIYAH!" she calls into the darkness. "What did you do to me?!"

_To us, Bonnie. I gave you what you wanted, and now we must find a way to destroy Silas together._

_Can you trust me? For we cannot bury him, unless we have each other's trust. This is not an illusion. We are not inside the veil anymore. We are in the safe and we must find a way to get out of it. Do you have any suggestions?_

"B-bonnie?" Stefan chokes. "Is t-that you?"

"We're going to get you out of here! Hold on, Stefan!" she tries to keep him afloat.

She hears the spell fall from her own lips. Qetsiyah is chanting. Stefan is unconscious and she hears the hinges of the safe unlock.

She screams when she's faced with the dead-glassy eyes of Galen Vaughn, the vampire hunter. Like a summoned zombie he swims to the surface with them at the end of his clasp and places their frozen and wet bodies on the edge of the bank. He stays as though his task is not complete.

"Thank you," she whispers, shivering violently in the night air. She tries her wrist against Stefan's mouth but she's not really there. Her blood is not beating, she's useless.

_Jeremy, _Bonnie thinks.

_The Gilbert boy you died for?_

_Yes. I have to find him._

Bonnie feels Qetsiyah inside her head, but she has control for the moment. She stands, rummages through her pockets and to her amazement pulls out her cell phone. _Please answer_, she thinks as it rings.

"Hello?" Jeremy's voice sounds uncertain and she realises how devastating their last meeting had been for him. She's unsure of how to start, and Qetsiyah doesn't offer any advice. She's alone for the moment and she starts to panic. "Who is this?"

"Jeremy, it's me. Bonnie," she said, blurting on like an idiot, "I need you to meet me at the reserve, and I need you to come alone. I know you have questions and I didn't mean to contact you like this, but please, something terrible has happened, and I need you..."

"If this is some sick, twisted, prank-" Jeremy started.

"It's not, Jeremy, it's real. I'm here at the reserve and I need you. I need you because Stefan needs blood and I can no longer give it to him. Please hurry, I'll explain everything, just please hurry."

-:-

Mr Bennett stands on the stage. He's testing the microphone. There's townsfolk about. The meeting was last minute because it was at Stefan Salvatore's urgent request. He's standing at the platform too and he's in a cheery mood. Mr Bennett wonders when Bonnie's getting home and why he's not heard from her since graduation. He has a surprise waiting in the garage: a new car. Something he knew she'd appreciate.

"It's ready," he advises Stefan. Mr Bennett stands aside and listens as Stefan welcomes them all.

"This summer I have consumed an immeasurable amount of blood. and I have found myself getting stronger and stronger everyday - and I started to wonder, what are the limits to my powers, how many people can I influence? Two? Ten? An entire town square? I know this is possible. I know that when you leave tonight I will have gotten inside every one of your heads and you will have no choice. You will obey me because I am your new mayor."

Mr Bennett heard the words too late. His actions were slow, like whatever he did could not stop from the inevitable defeat he was about to encounter. Stefan's cheery smirk was the last thing he saw before his eye-lids grew heavy and he keeled over. His efforts had been appreciated but his usefulness had expired.

_You must stand up, Bonnie. Fight for your father._

_Why is he doing this? What will he gain?_

_Power. His wish is to be with the woman he loves, the woman, I despise._

The breeze lashes across his face, stinging his eyes but he sees nothing. There was no regret in Silas' actions for his plan had been set in motion. If he controlled Mystic Falls, then he controlled them all.

"My loyal followers, I have a quest for you. I need you all to find the cure. I know it is still in Mystic Falls. I can smell it. I want you to retrieve Katerina Petrova and bring her to me."

_If..he gets...the cure... he will die? _

_Yes, but we must find the girl, Katerina Petrova before he does._

Jeremy sits in the Bonnie's bedroom with the curtains drawn just like Bonnie asked. He's watching over a Stefan. He offers him more of his blood. "She said she would be back soon. I don't know what to do. Should I call Elena? Or Damon? What if she gets herself killed, I mean again?"

Stefan doesn't respond for some time, he's too busy feeding. Then he heals him and says groggily, "Wait til Bonnie's back. She's in charge. I think that however she's here, she has someone to guide her. I heard her when I was drowning, she mentioned the name Qetsiyah. Do you know who Qetsiyah is, Jeremy?" Jeremy shook his head. "She's the one Silas cheated on. In other words, Bonnie's got an incredibly powerful witch on her side, and we don't want to get in her way, do we?"

"No," Jeremy murmured, although he wasn't satisfied. "What about Damon?"

"I think for the time being it's easier not to mention it. For the moment, no-one needs to know."

-:-

Caroline looks up from the fire. Stefan is almost skipping with joy as he enters the Boarding house. She knew burying Silas was good for them but she didn't realise how much it meant to Stefan.

"You're in high spirits? I'm guessing everything went well then?" she said, chewing on her ice in her scotch. She had lots to think about, like how Damon and Elena were fooling around upstairs and how she didn't want Stefan to throw the coffee table through the wall again.

"More than well," he grinned, helping himself to a drink.

Caroline stood up abruptly. "Maybe we should go to The Grill. Do you want to go to The Grill? Yes, I think we should. I mean, Matt's probably working and we always get free drinks, and besides there's not much scotch left because Damon and Elena drank it before I got here..."

"You're nervous," Stefan said, he loses some of his joy and she feels guilty. She can hear Elena's mewls as she falls against Damon's bed, and she can't believe Stefan is acting so calm.

"If you wish to leave, then I will follow," he says rather formally.

Caroline puts on her jacket, and finally bursts out. "You don't care that they're having sex?"

"I don't particularly like it, but no, what can I do?" he says, holding the door open for her.

"Well, you don't have to put up with it. You should come live with me. Seriously, you don't need them rubbing it in your face. I'm so angry at her - it's disgusting!"

"Caroline, I will gladly move in with you. Shall we go now?" he says, surprising her.

"Yes, uh - did you want to pack a bag?" she hesitates, and again his warm smile surprises her.

"No, I have all I need."

They sit at the Grill talking. The subjects change frequently because Caroline is often obsessed with the topic of Damon and Elena getting together and how selfish she thinks Elena is. He tries to make her feel better but she's getting drunk on champagne and shots. He's amused when she leaves her chair to sing a set of karaoke songs, and he claps enthusiastically from his seat, as Matt wipes down their table.

"What's got into her?"

"I believe my mood has transferred to her. Maybe for the better," Silas infers.

"I've missed that smile," Matt says, and he pats Stefan on the shoulder. "Don't let her lose it."

Matt goes back to work and Caroline is still hogging the mic, despite the long line of girls whinging because it was their turn three songs ago. Matt looks back to Stefan but oddly he's no longer there.

He sees him enter the girl's bathroom and though he's suspicious, Caroline finds him and they chat about how energised she is, and how she had to leave the stage because she needed to speak to her fans. "Where's Stefan? I need him to sing a duet." Matt points to the bathroom and Caroline kisses his cheek. "Don't work too hard, Matt," she says and he returns to the bar.

Caroline pushes open the bathroom door, but stops when she sees Elena and Stefan talking. She looks closely, her head is spinning and she realises exactly how many shots she's had. Lingering by the crack in the door, she realises that it's not Elena but Katherine. She was applying her lipstick to her pursed lips, doing her best to ignore him, which was a first considering how much she wanted to steal him away from Elena a year ago. Caroline heard Katherine scoff.

"Now I'm human you're interested in me? Give me a break, Stefan. You never loved me. You insulted me by chasing the lovely, _Elena_, and since she chose Damon, you've got no-one. Well, except Caroline, who has you all wrapped around her little finger. Matt, Tyler, Klaus, you, but I'm just sorry I won't be able to see you hook up because I'm leaving town," Katherine said.

"I'm sorry to hear that you are running again."

"What else would you have me do? Wait around and be killed by Silas? I don't think so. Now, how about you tell me what you're really doing here."

Caroline watched. She hated Katherine for several reasons but mostly she hated her for using and turning her, and for treating Stefan so badly. She wished she could walk in there and tell her exactly what she thought of her, and she would have if the next event hadn't have happened.

"I realised this was us parting ways, and I thought, I needed to make sure you knew what you meant to me. What you meant to both myself and Damon. You gave us life, Katherine. I'm grateful, I am."

Caroline was wondering where this was going. She had never seen Stefan like this. Had he eaten human blood? Was this the ripper talking? Katherine laughed, shaking her head and explaining that on more than one occasion he had made it clear he would rather see her die. "And now, thanks to the cure you can. Why don't you get to the point, Stefan?"

Stefan smiled, stepping closer to her and lowering her lipstick from the mirror. Katherine merely watched curious, and bemused. "Because I want you to suffer," he said. Caroline thought she was hallucinating. Katherine spluttered indignantly, but he spoke over her. "You thought you could trick me? You thought I would not find out, but I know everything _Katerina Petrova_ and you can't run from me."

Katherine was staring at him with her red lips parted. "Ste-" she began but his hand sprung out around her throat, and she was bewildered as well as surprised, because Stefan tightened his grip.

"Wrong, Miss Petrova. I am not Mr Salvatore, although I am _related_. He seemed as surprised as you though when I turned, and he had every right to be, you see, he was my shadow self, I'm guessing you do know what that means?"

Katherine's eyes gave away her fear, and Caroline who by this point frozen at the door heard Katherine say his name, and then what she saw confirmed that the person who looked and acted like Stefan Salvatore was in fact, Silas, and the real Stefan Salvatore had something terrible happen to him. Katherine struggled against Silas' grip, and as he let her down, pressing her against the wall he said: "I'm surprised it took that long. I thought you were supposed to be wise, but then you are only five hundred years old and no match for me."

"What do you want?" Katherine trembled.

"Isn't it obvious? I want the cure?" Silas said.

"But, I drank it..." she murmured.

"Then, it is all your blood I will take," he said.

"No!" Katherine shouted, attempting to escape but he smashed her head against the sink.

Katherine lifted her head. There was blood everywhere. Silas flipped her around, biting her neck, and Caroline being Caroline could not let him kill her.

Perhaps it was because she saw in him the ripper, or because she was simply stupid, but whatever the reason she had to erase the image from her mind.

She kicked down the bathroom door; throwing the door at his surprised face and stole Katherine from beneath his almost-mortal nose.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Saving your life, don't argue!"

"I didn't know you cared?"

"I don't, but despite how much of a bitch you are, you're a candy floss compared to that monster," Caroline said, searching the crowd for Matt.

**A/N: Please review.**


	3. Imprisoned

**A/N: Sorry for not updating this story sooner. 25 follows! Wow! Thank you so much for your interest. I was thinking of making this 5 chapters but knowing me I could go beyond this. **

**3**

**Imprisoned**

Caroline dragged Katherine after her, searching wildly for Matt who seemed to be nowhere. She was scared, but hadn't time to call anyone, besides her hands were shaking. She just needed to find Matt and then they could get out of there.

"I need blood," Katherine rasped.

"I can't find Matt," Caroline said.

"Take me to the Salvatore's," Katherine demanded.

Silas would get there first and Damon and Elena had no idea. Caroline adjusted her hold on Katherine. She could feel Silas' eyes burning into the back of her head. Where the hell was Matt?

"Ah, so noble, Caroline Forbes! I knew I should like you, until, that is, you threw a door at my face and stole what belongs to me." Silas had his arm around Matt's neck. "I knew you wouldn't leave without your precious human. Run, and I will snap this boy's neck. Better yet, I will drain him. Do you have a problem with that Miss Forbes?"

Katherine's legs grew weak and Caroline felt her slipping from her grip. She could see the entire bar watching her, as if this was better than the baseball on the televisions. They were creeping her out, none of them even moved, or cared that Stefan wasn't his normal self...

"Don't trust him. He'll kill us all," Katherine choked, spitting blood onto the blue carpet.

"Why should I trust you?" Caroline said to Silas. "You almost killed her."

"I tried to drink her blood. That's what vampires do. Have you not heard of blood-sharing? Perhaps we should try it sometime? Now, if you please. Katerina, for your Matt."

"You won't kill him." Caroline warned, "You need him."

"And why would I need this human when I have an entire town full of obedient slaves?"

"Because Matt is special."

"To you maybe. You underestimate me, Miss Forbes."

Caroline couldn't think fast enough. Matt meant more to her than Katherine, didn't he? Why was she even hesitating? Why couldn't she just do as he asked, then they could both have been free?

"No!" Caroline screamed as Silas broke Matt's neck and he crumbled to the ground. She struggled to keep herself standing, her hands slipped from around Katherine's waist and the entire crowd enclosed around her, trampling on Matt's body. He was dead. He was gone.

She looked into Silas' evil face and understood him finally.

"What do you want?"

He smirked. "You."

-:-

Jeremy watched Stefan sleep on Bonnie's bed. He walked out of the room and into the kitchen and turned on the tap to drown out his phone call to Damon. He picked up on the last ring, and his voice was a soft murmur. Jeremy didn't focus on what exactly he had been doing with his sister before he'd answered, instead he blurted out what had happened and where he was, hoping Damon could get there before Stefan found out he'd broken his promise.

"Hang on, hang on. I thought you just said Stefan was at Bonnie's house? But he just got home. Are you on drugs again Little Gilbert?"

"Get Elena over here. That's not Stefan, it's Silas!"

"Silas? But Stefan threw him into the lake..."

"Well, why would I be ringing you if Stefan wasn't here?"

"Who knows? Maybe your Silas?"

"Will you just get out of there before it's too late!"

"If it's that important to you Big Jer, I'll wake up your sleeping sister and be there in two minutes."

"Be careful! And Damon?" Jeremy said, "Stop being such a dick! I'm trying to save your life."

Jeremy cut off Damon's last reply, and looked up as Stefan stared at him from the doorway. He had heard the last thing he had said, and grimaced. Jeremy felt bad for sneaking off to call Damon, he tried to explain but Stefan raised his hand.

"I don't need your apology, Jeremy. I should have realised you would wish to warn Elena. You know, you two aren't so different. You are loyal to an extent, but you are selfless and brave too. Now go get me a blood-bag before I collapse again."

"Are you sure? You can bite my wrist?"

"No. Human blood is too strong. Don't tempt me."

"Ok. Don't go anywhere."

"I won't."

Stefan checked his pockets for his phone which was now it seemed, on Silas' body. He broke his fist through the wall impatiently. He wanted to be out there, helping, but he could barely walk. Jeremy's blood had tasted great but he couldn't risk going overboard. He couldn't risk turning into the Ripper. He was scared of losing control-

Caroline. She had been staying at the Boarding House. She would be there. He spotted Jeremy's phone on the counter and dialled her number urgently. It rang out three times. On the fourth call, he heard a muffled noise and then Matt's confused voice answered.

"Stefan?"

"Where's Caroline?"

"Silas must've taken her."

"Where?"

There was a pause, like Matt was thinking.

"I don't know. He killed me."

"How are you not dead?"

"Jeremy gave me Alaric's ring."

"We're in hiding at Bonnie's." Stefan paused, wondering what they should do next.

"There's something you should know. Silas has the entire town compelled. He was looking for the cure. Caroline saved Katherine from him but now he must have them both," Matt said.

"Get yourself over here without being seen. Bonnie has a plan."

Stefan wished Matt to be careful before Damon came up the steps with Jeremy and an anxious Elena at his heels. Stefan was bombarded first by Elena whose hug almost suffocated him. It was nice to see she cared, he thought. She turned drastically to Damon, who relaxed after seeing his appearance wasn't too horrific. Jeremy handed Stefan the blood-bag, curious to know who he had called in his absence.

"Matt will be here in ten minutes. Jeremy, wait for him at the door. Caroline and Katherine have been taken by Silas. Matt doesn't know where. He was killed by Silas but came to life because he was wearing the Gilbert ring," Stefan explained.

He bit into the bag and began to drink it, ignoring Elena's worried expression. Damon did what he always did, and like Stefan could never sit still when something threatened his or Elena's existence.

"Damon, we can't just go after them." Stefan held him back, tossing the empty blood-bag aside.

"Sure we can. Let go, brother," Damon warned.

"Bonnie's here, but she's different." Stefan willed him to listen.

"Different how?" Damon asked.

Elena and Jeremy looked between the two Salvatores anxiously. Jeremy shifted suddenly on the receiving end of Stefan's gaze which warned him not to say anything, and again he ignored it.

"Bonnie's dead," he blurted. Elena and Damon stared at him like he was lying. "She died when she brought me back to life. She didn't want anyone to know. Look, I wanted to tell you but she made me promise not to. She was dead, until she called me to take care of Stefan who she had rescued from the safe and dragged onto the banks. She used to be a lifesaver, remember Elena? But Stefan thought - you can tell them."

Jeremy and the others looked back to Stefan who was feeling slightly better, only now he had to admit what was going on, and Damon wouldn't like it, neither would Elena, whose lips had gone all pouty. Bonnie, he said, had come back to life, and this was no ordinary feat. He told them his theory, and left both Damon and Elena stunned.

"Bonnie is being possessed by Qetsiyah, and we have to trust her."

-:-

Bonnie and Qetsiyah walked around the square, invisible to the citizens of Mystic Falls. Qetsiyah wanted her to fight for her father. Bonnie wanted to kill Silas now. She wanted to bury him beneath lava and cement. She wanted to tear his limps from his body and rip off that permanent smile. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. What about a woman who had their father taken from them? What about a little girl who never got to hear her father's words - I love you, just the way you are.

The point was, they could have come from her father. He wasn't a cruel man. He just never understood her magic. He never believed in it. She felt her body seize up as if it were alive and she heard a light tapping inside her brain, Qetsiyah was asking to withdraw the wall that separated them. She had shut her out to stop her persistent, unemotional statements.

_stop feeling sorry for yourself._

_GET OUT OF MY HEAD_

_you need to put your emotions aside._

_WHY? YOU HAVEN'T? SILAS HURT YOU. YOU WANT REVENGE._

_thousands of years and i'm still paying for my mistakes. __i let silas be like this, __i regret it everyday, __i must find a way._

_HE KILLED MY FATHER._

Bonnie had heard nothing after that. She had been walking around not knowing where she was going for hours, and found herself entering the Grill. She needed a drink. She didn't care who saw her. The Grill was deserted. There were plates of food still at tables. The televisions were still on, but the signal began to go fuzzy. She wondered if that was because of her supernatural presence.

She filled a tankard with beer and didn't even bother to pay for it. She felt like she was in a trance. Like this was just a nightmare she could not wake up from. But it was real. Silas had taken over Mystic Falls. Silas had almost killed Stefan. Silas had taken her father. Silas wanted to take over the world.

She drank the beer, sitting alone in the bar.

She didn't hear the backdoor slam.

She didn't smell Katherine's blood in the bathroom.

She saw nothing.

-:-

Caroline opens her eyes. She's groggy and her vision blurs, but she sees things of familiarity. A clock hanging on her wall. Her desk chair. Her barbies collecting dust on top of her wardrobe and her Miss Mystic Falls sash lying across photos of her, Bonnie, Matt and Elena at Graduation which seemed a century ago. She lay on her bed and presses her hand along her collarbone and down her chest. She's wearing a silk nightie she doesn't remember putting on and moves her head to the left to see Stefan-Silas asleep next to her.

She feels around her waist and finds her nightie is bunched up. She thinks, no! She's too frightened to leave her bed without waking him, and flashes of her time with Damon resurfaces. Stefan wouldn't do this to her. Stefan hadn't done this to her. This was Silas. What had he done?

She watches him sleep. Lying there like he hadn't just enslaved the entire town, or killed Matt, or raped her? She sees the door is closed, but can hear voices below her coming from the basement. She sniffs the air and can smell blood, lots of it. She can't remember what happened between Silas killing Matt and her waking up. She turns her head to the window and sees it's open, feeling the warm breeze comfort her as if it knew her true ordeal.

She tells herself, it's now or never. She rises from the bed, reaches the window and is slammed into the wall. Blood trickles down her forehead. There's a man there. Had he been watching them? He's tall, reminds her of Connor, but he's dead. She was sure he was still dead. She vamps out, but he doesn't flinch. He's stronger. Is he a Hybrid? Why would he help Silas? She thinks of Tyler. The man smirks, admiring her figure through her white dress.

"How did you get into my house?"

"Silas invited me."

"How did _he _get into my house?"

"Your boyfriend invited him."

"Where's Tyler?" she gasps.

"Tsk Tsk. You ask too many questions," he smirked.

Silas patted the bed, and requested she come back to it. He thanked the man, whose name was Jesse, and told him to check on their other guests. Caroline watched him leave and saw she had returned the bed, but not of her own free will. Confused by her actions and scared that he had the power to make her do things, she felt suddenly vulnerable.

"W-what happened last night?" she said.

Silas smiled and tucked a stray hair behind her ear with a gentle but alarming reassurance.

"You remember..." he said. "...you remember everything."

_Caroline sits on her bed. She's wearing her best silk nightie. She's waiting for her husband to greet her. Husband? The word seems strange along her lips. When did she and Tyler get married? Stefan opens the door. She smiles. It's good to see him. She wonders how he's doing now that Elena and Damon are together. Stefan sits beside her and she leans her head against his shoulder, feeling safe. He whispers something to her that she has trouble hearing, but suddenly his mouth is on hers. She's not sure what's happening, and then she remembers...it's not Stefan. It's Silas. She remembers being dragged from the Grill. She remembers Jesse taking Katherine from her and taking her to the basement. She remembers hearing screams, as though there were more people trapped there, but she doesn't know who or why. She is taken to her room and left there. For the first time her room feels like a stranger's. She is too afraid to lie back. She doesn't know what is coming. She moves to her wardrobe and takes out the nightie. She sits. She's waiting for her husband. That's all she knows._

_Silas is not her husband. She knows that now. He had made her believe that. He had gotten inside her head. He's kissing her and she begins to scream. He climbs onto her, forcing her down and asks her to scream louder so Tyler can hear her. She cries, afraid. Afraid for Tyler, afraid for herself. He whispers in her ear. Perhaps you would be more forthcoming if I became Klaus? Does Tyler know about your affair? Naughty girl. Now, moan so your precious boy can hear what it's like for a man to pleasure his wife._

Caroline stares horrified into Silas' calm gaze. He smirks and she can't understand...why her? Why, again? Why? Why? Why?

The boy Jesse is back. He takes Silas away from her, and she clutches her hands to her face. She wants to escape, but the door is left ajar and she hears his voice. Tyler's. He's yelling her name, then he's screaming so hard his voice almost breaks. He tells her not to worry. He tells her he's ok.

She falls in a heaps on the floor, shaking. Silas' voice reaches her ears and she climbs into her bed, and smells his scent on her pillows. _Wait for me, darling..._

-:-

Tessa looked over to the boy they said was a werewolf, a hybrid to be exact. He was strung up to the beams with wolfs bane and hung there with sweat and blood dripping onto the dirt. He was branded now, like it was something to be proud of being one of Silas' followers.

She flexes her hands which are tied behind her back, getting pins and needles, and licks the blood from her bleeding lip. The basement is dark, there's no light, except when the hybrid Jesse came down periodically to threaten them and bring them food, or blood.

She heard the girl upstairs screaming, and then it would stop, and then start again. Tyler, so they called him, almost broke out of his bindings if it hadn't been that Jesse had come to check on him.

He kept to himself mostly, but she did find out the girl's name was Caroline, and she was his girlfriend. Tessa, offered to take away some of his pain, but he denied using witchcraft, he said it was his fault Silas had Caroline, and he deserved everything he was feeling.

Tessa pointed out that the branding iron, which had left the number 8 seared to his shoulder was not a jersey number but a symbol for immortality. She told him, he had been chosen just like Caroline had been chosen - to be Silas' disciples and accompany him to the other side. Tyler had then called her crazy and refused to talk to her. She knew it sounded mad. It had sounded mad to her a year ago. She wished she could take it back, but she was a seer, and that wasn't how it worked.

Tessa looked at the brunette girl bleeding out into buckets placed beneath her hanging body. She was human, but Tyler said she used to be a vampire. Tessa had heard of Katerina Petrova, and now Silas wanted her blood - she was a successful example of a vampire who had been cured of her immortality. She had become human, and now she was dying.

"Would you like me to take away your pain?" Tessa called out, after Jesse had left again.

The girl Katherine or Katerina did not answer. Tyler told her to mind her own business, apparently she had been responsible for turning his girlfriend into a vampire. Tessa had much to learn about the history of Mystic Falls. She knew that now. She knew that her premonition for the end of the world had been limited. She knew she had several more people to meet before the end came.

Tessa closed her eyes. She let herself relax. The house was quiet, apart from Tyler's grunts.

Her premonition changed. It would do that now and then when certain events came to pass and others merged to different paths. She focussed her energy on the witch sitting at the bar. She was agitated, with dark skin and dark hair. Tessa heard multiple voices in her head. They were arguing about something, one getting more heated than the other. They were distant, then Tessa was walking down the slopes of an overgrown garden. Grass licked at her heels, and she kneeled in front of a tombstone, pushing away the moss. She saw the name, and guessed she had been right. The war had begun. She pressed her hands into the damp earth and saw the coffin buried deep beneath her. She looked inside. The woman there, was as young as her. She was sleeping. Her chest rising up and down, as though content with her secret. Her hands were entwined with beads, blood and creature's bones, and Tessa knew of only one other person who had performed the same spell.

"She's alive!" Tessa breathed to an exhausted Tyler.

"You must be blind. She died about an hour ago," he said.

"Qetsiyah?"

"No, Katherine."

Tessa smiled, but not because Katherine's death pleased her, far from it. She smiled because Qetsiyah was alive and now she had hope.

**A/N: I apologise for having so little Bonnie in this chapter. She will kick some ass in the next two. In the TV series, Tessa is a vampire but for my story I made her a witch/seer. And don't worry, this isn't the last we see of Katherine. Please review.**


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